


Friendship

by QuietlyImplode



Series: Rescue Me [17]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Natasha Romanov Is Not A Robot, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Natasha Romanov Needs a Hug, Pepper Potts & Natasha Romanov Friendship, Pepper Potts Is a Good Bro, Pepper Potts Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:02:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27573521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuietlyImplode/pseuds/QuietlyImplode
Summary: Natasha + Pepper have a chat about what happened.——-“You’ve been avoiding me.”“Yeah.” Pepper stops. Sits. Copies Tony’s tic of rubbing his face.“I’m sorry. I am. I just. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know how to help. Seeing you like that, was scary. Seeing you helpless, you- I just didn’t know how to handle it. Still don’t…”
Relationships: Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov, Pepper Potts & Natasha Romanov
Series: Rescue Me [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1984783
Comments: 4
Kudos: 43





	Friendship

**Author's Note:**

> I love this friendship so much. I hope this does it justice. MCU does female relationships so shit.

She seeks out Pepper.

Her friend (or so she thought) has been notably absent in the weeks since her capture, rescue and recovery.

Natasha would let it go but she actually likes Pepper. Sees her as an equal. She doesn’t put much stock in friends but her friendship with Pepper has allowed her to see the value in one.

Her first female relationship that’s not a competition or end in (hopefully) either of their deaths.

Plus. Boys sometimes just don’t get it.

She finds her in the penthouse of Stark Tower, cooking in kitchen. She waits for her to turn around, not really knowing what to say or how to start this.

How does one say, thanks for coming to my rescue; sorry I scared you when you saw the realities of my work?

So just waits for Pepper to turn around.

“Fuck! Natasha!?”

The fear and guilt washes across Pepper’s face before it becomes a mask again. Natasha swears she would have been a brilliant agent, if she had wished to.  
God this is awkward.

“Hi.”

Natasha is beginning to regret this. Maybe she should have left it; waited for Pepper to come to her or even; just forget the relationship all together. Suck it up, she’s here now.

“I’m sorry.” They both say at the same time.

Pepper smiles.

“Come and sit, I’m making cookies.”

Because of course she is. How does she find time to do that and run the whole of the stark empire?

“I have underlings and a Friday.” Pepper says, reading Natasha’s mind. ”I needed time away from the computer, and being in front of screens. Also away from people.” 

She smiles.

Natasha’s stomach drops a little, “I can go? Sorry, I-“

“Natasha; stop. You’re not people. You’re my people. Stay. Please? Sit.” She commands softly.

Natasha perches, and watches as Pepper adds ingredients into a bowl. It’s mesmerizing; watching her.  
“Need some help?” Natasha offers.

“Sure.” Pepper replies, “grab the sugar for me? It’s in the cupboard next to the stove.”

It’s good to be doing something, it almost negates the awkwardness of this encounter, but still Natasha doesn’t know what to say. Instead she asks what’s next, follows Pepper’s lead and focuses on making something.

Not destroying it; her mind supplies.

When the recipes in the oven and the timer set, Natasha starts to wash the dishes. It’s preferable to facing Pepper.

“How are you?” Pepper opens.

“Ok. How are you?” Natasha counters.

“Ok,” Pepper deadpans.

Making eye contact, they laugh.

“You’ve been avoiding me.”

“Yeah.” Pepper stops. Sits. Copies Tony’s tic of rubbing his face.

“I’m sorry. I am. I just. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know how to help. Seeing you like that, was scary. Seeing you helpless, you- I just didn’t know how to handle it. Still don’t. I wanted to come see you, check on you but at first Clint said you weren’t up to visitors, then you didn’t want to see me and then time had passed, and I wasn’t even sure if you wanted to talk about it. I thought- I don’t even know what I thought. But I didn’t think I was the right person to help you. Or even how to get back to where we were.” She stops and takes a deep breath. “Does this make sense at all? I really am sorry.”

Natasha nods. She gets it, she does. She gets Clint’s protectiveness; she was in no state to see anyone that first week, she pushed everyone away even Clint in the second, wallowing and licking her wounds. Returning to function had and has been hideous.

“I’ve been seeing a therapist.” She admits. Holding up a hand when Pepper starts a question. “She’s set me straight on some things, and encouraged me to act on others.”

“I’m one of the things you need to act on?” Pepper smiles as she asks.

Natasha shakes her hands out, finishing with the dishes and turning to face Pepper.

“I don’t have a lot of friends. I have male Friends or teammates I guess, but female friends are hard, for a lot of reasons but then here you are. We started on a lie, but then you accepted me, knowing who I am, what I am and I’m sure you’ve read all the information that Tony’s dug up…” she waits for Pepper to dispute it, and when she doesn’t she continues on, “So when I say you know me, it’s not the surface knowledge, it’s not even the lies that Shield knows. I didn’t think there was value in friendships or relationships til I met Clint, and then Tony and now you. I don’t want to lose that because there’s another aspect of me that you’re now privy to; or that you’re scared of me, or even..” Natasha stops and takes a deep breath.

“My therapist said I’ve been avoiding you because I’m embarrassed. And I think that might be true. Embarrassed that you had to see me like that, and more embarrassed that I wasn’t strong enough to get myself out. Angry too, I guess. Not at you, but angry that you had to be there. I guess I blame Tony a bit for that.” Natasha finishes with another sigh.

“I’m pretty proud of you, you know?” Huh. This is not what she thought she would be met with. She actually didn’t know what to expect, normally she can read people and predict their actions easily. Pepper is such a wildcard.

“Why?” Incredulous is the only way she’d could describe the octave she just hit.

Pepper laughs.

“You’re self aware enough to know what’s happening, and analyse twenty steps ahead of everyone. You know why people do things and are smarter than nearly everyone on the planet but your also a dumbass. Yeah you scared me, but only in the way that I didn’t know how to help. Which is not on you by the way.”

Pepper takes another breath. Comes to stand next to Natasha. Knows that standing across from her is too much.

“Seeing you in the plane, seizing, having difficulty breathing, god not even speaking the same language, just made some things real, you know? I’ve never seen anyone in that amount of pain, or that vulnerable -except maybe Tony. But that’s because he’s an idiot.” 

She bumps shoulders with Natasha and continues on. 

“He asked me you know? Asked me if I wanted to come to get you. Clint had us on speakerphone so I knew you’d been taken. I didn’t hesitate. You’re my friend. And I kinda love you. Who else is gonna make cookies with me and not rat me out when we put 3x the amount of chocolate chips?”

Natasha smiles, ducks her head. She’s glad she came here, glad she pushed herself. She’s feeling braver and wholly attributes that to the damn therapist for challenging her to do things.

They hang together and wait for the cookies to finish, the silences comfortable and conversation easy.


End file.
